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8/09/2009

After seeing this recipe from Joelen, I knew my husband would adore these bagels. We had a couple of jalapenos that were ripe and ready to be picked, so this was a perfect way to use them up!

I used my standard bagel recipe, but this time, I added a couple tablespoons more water to balance the extra cheese/jalapeno ingredients and I ran out of bread flour 3 cups in, so I used 1 cup of all-purpose flour as well...which I think really helped my recipe! The bagels turned out extremely light, fluffy and were just delicious. According to my husband, these were the best batch I'd ever made. Period. And 2 bagels later, he was still giving me the thumbs up sign.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar & water. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in flour, salt, onion powder, cheese & jalapenos. Mix dough thoroughly until it comes together in a large ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of flour or water, if needed.If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knead until very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 8 minutes on a low speed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl (non-stick spray works wonderfully), cover with plastic wrap & let rise for 1 hour.

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil & preheat the oven to 400F.

When dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface & divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball. Using your fingers, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball. Stretch out the dough into a ring with your fingers & make the hole a little larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as it will shrink slightly while the bagel is expanding during the baking process. When all the balls are shaped, let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean dish towel.

Working four at a time, drop the bagels carefully into the boiling water. Boil for 1 minute on the first side, then flip & boil for an additional minute. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer bagels to a clean towel to drain for a moment, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.Sprinkle bagels with cheddar cheese on top immediately after removing from the water & bake for 20-24 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Melissa - trust me here...if I can do this, YOU can do it. Don't be scared. As long as you have somewhat fresh yeast and the water isn't too hot (the rule I use is that if I feel it and would feed it to a baby, it's the right temperature), then you'll do great!

I followed this recipe exactly. My yeast was good and foamy when I proofed it and I got a good first rise form it. In the end though, the dough was really stretchy and didn't feel stiff enough and the bagels did not rise again once I had shaped them. They turned out tasting delicious but never got big and poofy like the one pictured. They were kind of flat and not very dense. Ideas on what could have happened??

Sounds like it could have needed some more flour...if it seemed too soft and stretchy, then I would have added a bit more flour a tbs. or so at a time while kneading. Also kneading long enough is key as well...I've had the same problem however with the lack of rising but they tasted delicious still...hope yours tasted good despite the issues!